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criticalgayze's reviews
182 reviews
State of Paradise by Laura van den Berg
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Much like with The Quick and the Dead, I found this to be a bit overstuffed with ideas, and I also found the ending to be a little too neat and end credits-y. Unlike TQ&tD, I found this to be much more narratively streamlined, and I continue to appreciate van den Berg’s voice.
You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
You Should Be So Lucky was one that I probably overhyped for myself after We Could Be So Good made the @nytimes 100 Notable last year. While I found it to be perfectly pleasant, it did not wow me the way that hype suggested. I think I wish it had leaned into one of its threads more heavily: either that it be more of a recovery romance, more about the sports reporting, or more about the historical pressures of 1960 on Queer folks, especially in “masculine” spheres. Instead, we get something that’s nice to its characters almost to a fault with a lot of almost drama that never comes to fruition. If you like low angst/low pressure with good steam, this is for you.
Any Person Is the Only Self: Essays by Elisa Gabbert
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Any Person... is a lovely collection that really seemed rooted in the kind of earnestness Instagram.com/openbookopen has been introducing to the Bookstagram space. While it is not exclusively about reading, its ethos in the joy of books sings from the pages, and the way she writes about Sylvia Plath brought me to tears.
The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
I really think Turton made a poor narrative choice. The use of a completely omniscient narrator here leads him to be over pedantic in his descriptions, even 25% into the novel when we have a decent understanding of the major players. I get that it allows him to be all over the island to keep multiple pieces in play while maintaining narrative cohesion, but it creates a weaker writer as a result.
Tremor by Teju Cole
4.5
A slim book that I felt was a little overstuffed with ideas, not all of which I completely understood including, but whose voice and thoughts and intelligence I appreciate.
Alphabetical Diaries by Sheila Heti
Did not finish book. Stopped at 54%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 54%.
While an interesting book in concept, I found that as a text it becomes redundant. Some of this is due in large part to the lack of an introduction, which would have provided some contextualization and the author’s reflections on themes she found to be of interest. While an interesting work of personal scholarship, it was not engaging as a book-length work.
The Heroic Slave (an African American Heritage Book) by Frederick Douglass
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
MARTYR! by Kaveh Akbar was my last read of 2023, which I requested largely based on its striking cover. I was also very interested in the formatting concept of plot, poems, and interstitials as I am finding format to be a bigger draw for me.
I will say there’s a lot here to like. As individual pieces, a lot of this works; however, I thought this was lacking cohesion. While some of this may be impacted by eARC formatting issues, I didn’t think everything blended.
Trying my very best not to spoil, the back third also did not end up working for me. I was more disappointed than gagged.
Finally, for a novel by a poet about a poet writing a novel, I was not wowed by the language.
Overall, I did like this, and please check out the lovely reviews I mentioned earlier!
I will say there’s a lot here to like. As individual pieces, a lot of this works; however, I thought this was lacking cohesion. While some of this may be impacted by eARC formatting issues, I didn’t think everything blended.
Trying my very best not to spoil, the back third also did not end up working for me. I was more disappointed than gagged.
Finally, for a novel by a poet about a poet writing a novel, I was not wowed by the language.
Overall, I did like this, and please check out the lovely reviews I mentioned earlier!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Death of parent, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content
If on a winter's night a traveler by Italo Calvino
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0